Port of Moses Lake Forms Committee To Make Plans To Connect Moses Lake To The BNSF Line Near Ephrata

Online, September 2, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Moses Lake, Washington - As a result of recent meetings and discussions about attracting a Boeing aerospace project (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2015375316_post.html) to the Moses Lake Grant County International Airport, Port of Moses Lake officials are indicating that they want to move quickly on coming up with a plan to build a rail line from the Grant County International Airport to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail mainline near Ephrata, Washington that would then connect Moses Lake to aerospace plants in Everett, Washington and other locations in the Puget Sound.

According to sources at the Port of Moses Lake (Grant County Port District No. 10), the current southbound rail connection from the Grant County International Airport to Connell, Washington is inadequate and is not feasible to use to haul cargo westbound from Moses Lake to the Puget Sound, as rail connections via Connell take long and circuitious routes through Spokane and Portland to get to the Seattle and Tacoma area. Moreover, certain parts of the rail line that run from Connell through the City of Moses Lake that currently connect to the Grant County International Airport are in disrepair and are not usable at this time. Specifically, the portion of the line that runs through the City of Moses Lake is not an optimal route as it is near or crosses several bodies of water, and would cost several million dollars to repair and maintain.

The Port of Moses Lake has appointed an Advisory Committee to come up with a plan to create a rail connection from the Grant County International Airport to the BNSF Mainline at Ephrata and to find suitable partners that would help the Port of Moses Lake construct and operate the rail line. The Advisory Committee will also be looking at various local, state and federal funding options for acquiring the right-of-way and constructing the new rail line to Ephrata, Washington. The newly appointed rail advisory committee will begin meeting in September.